The invention relates to an apparatus for regulating operation of a carburetor or other explosive mixture-forming means. More particularly, this invention relates to a sensor and feedback control system for regulating operation of the carburetor or other explosive mixture-forming means in an internal-combustion engine of a motor vehicle to reduce vibration in the vehicle drive train during torque transmission.
A device to regulate an engine-gearbox unit of a motor vehicle is known from German Unexamined Published Pat. Application No. 2,811,574, which, as a function of the accelerator pedal position and of the rotary speed of the drive shaft, influences the mixture former of the engine and the gearbox so that the lowest possible fuel consumption is obtained. One disadvantage of this known regulating device is that the vibration behavior of the drive train is not taken into consideration in the regulation.
According to the present invention, the improved apparatus provides a feedback control system for regulating an explosive-mixture forming device of a vehicle having an engine, accelerator pedal means for controlling the speed of the engine, a drive train including a drive shaft, a flywheel on the drive shaft, a gearbox having a plurality of gear stages, and a wheel assembly including at least one driven wheel. The apparatus includes first sensor means for detecting deflection of the accelerator pedal means, second sensor means for detecting an angular velocity of the drive shaft flywheel, third sensor means for detecting the torque of the drive shaft, fourth sensor means for detecting an angular velocity of the at least one driven wheel of the wheel assembly, and fifth sensor means for detecting the identity of the gear stage in use in the gearbox.
The apparatus further includes feedback control means for attenuating vibration in the vehicle drive train, the feedback control means including data processing means for interpreting the parameters detected by the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth sensor means to monitor torsional vibrations in the drive train, and regulator means for controlling the explosive-mixture forming device to vary the quantity of explosive-mixture formed to vary thereby the torque of the engine so that vibration due to torsional rigidity of the drive train is lessened substantially.
The aim of the invention is to attenuate the vibrations which occur in the drive train of a vehicle in the case of a load change.
The regulating apparatus according to the present invention operates to influence an explosive mixture-forming device (e.g. a carburetor) of an internal-combustion engine of a motor vehicle and advantageously prevents the low-frequency natural vibrations of the drive train which cause extremely high moments in the drive train. Thus, the improved regulating apparatus prolongs the useful life of the gearbox and that of the power-transmitting elements and simultaneously improves travelling comfort due to the elimination of the vibrations and to the provision of a uniform drive moment. The regulating device of the present invention is applicable in either a spark-ignition or a compression-ignition internal-combustion engine.
Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken with the accompanying drawing which shows, for purpose of illustration only, an embodiment in accordance with the present invention.